Town Haul Podcast | Episode 7
- Host: Amy Koonin (Rubicon)
- Guest: Annie Davis (World Centric, Director of Business Development)
- LISTEN HERE
Finding the right avenues to dispose of waste is an essential element of sustainability. Finding ways to turn this waste into zero-waste, however, might be more difficult to figure out. Fortunately, B Corp World Centric has risen to the challenge. By replacing plastic and styrofoam products with high-quality compostable products, World Centric is showing the world that sustainable living is possible.
The Town Haul’s host Amy Koonin chatted with World Centric’s Director of Business Development Annie Davis about compostable vs. biodegradable labels, food delivery services, and how World Centric is promoting zero-waste through compostable packaging.
On why to use commercial composting facilities:
DAVIS: “There are products that are certified compostable products. The certification is a third party certification that verifies they can turn back into the soil when they are processed in a commercial composting facility.
So, not in your backyard, but in a commercial facility and this is because in your backyard, the temperature in your home composting pile does not get high enough, it doesn’t get hot enough in there for these products to actually break down, where they can actually break down is in a large scale commercial composting facility.”
On the difference between compostable and biodegradable:
DAVIS: “If you are a consumer or you are a business and you’re considering using compostable products, you’re interested in these kinds of products, it’s really important to look for BPI certification because this is the gold standard for compostability.
A lot of other types of products out there will claim, for instance, that they’re biodegradable, but biodegradable does not have certification attached to it and actually doesn’t really mean much because anything is biodegradable over enough time. A compostable certification has a time limit associated with it. So in order for something to be certified commercially compostable, it has to turn into soil in a commercial composting facility in under four months.”
On how to bring sustainability into food delivery services:
DAVIS: “Everything really happens when consumers who are like your voice is the loudest voice that these companies hear. They want to keep your business and they certainly want to do everything they can to please you and retain you.
The number one thing to do would be either refusing the official service or just asking the question, “Do you offer a more sustainable option? Have you looked at it? Why not?” We’re seeing a lot of growth for our business in mobile food delivery because the packaging enhances the whole brand experience for those delivery services.”
On how World Centric and Rubicon focus on zero-waste:
DAVIS:“World Centric… is looking at literally the origin of the materials where the products start, the design of it, and designing it for something that can have a lower impact. But for something to be truly zero-waste, it can’t just be designed for that impact, it has to be connected to an infrastructure and a system where it can be kept out of the landfill.
Now that’s why it’s so critical that Rubicon is doing the work that you all are doing to help consumers and to help businesses and institutions to find those alternate end of life options that use products that have been designed to be zero-waste but may not always achieve their desired intended outcome.”
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- Composting 101: What Your Business Need to Know
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